Deadly helicopter crash, missile tensions, and maritime threats

• On Monday, a Colombian helicopter crashed while delivering supplies to soldiers in the municipality of Santa Rosa del Sur. This area recently experienced conflict between the National Liberation Army guerrilla group and a drug trafficking group known as the Gulf Clan.

The Colombian military reported that it was a Russian MI-17 helicopter commonly used to transport soldiers and supplies. The helicopter crash was deemed an accident. Nine soldiers on board were killed, with no survivors – reported the Colombian armed forces.

• UN experts have determined that during the shelling of Kharkiv on January 2nd, North Korean Hwasong-11 ballistic missiles were used, violating the arms supply embargo from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - reported by Reuters agency.

Previously, the USA, during a UN Security Council meeting, had accused Russia at least nine times of launching ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea into Ukraine.

• Without going into details, the Chinese Coast Guard announced that they had expelled Philippine ships from the Scarborough Shoal.

Reuters recalls that in recent months, Beijing and Manila have repeatedly clashed over the sunken reef, which the Philippines claims is within their exclusive economic zone, and China also claims as its own.

• The British Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that Yemeni Houthi rebels attacked a ship off the coast of the city of Mocha. The missile exploded in the water near the vessel, but - the agency reported - none of the crew members were harmed.

The US Central Command identified the damaged vessel as "Cylades," owned by Greece and flying the Maltese flag.